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2009
COLLEGE SHOWCASE NOTEABLE PERFORMANCES
Click on photos for larger images
RI
On Sunday June 1, 2008, the RI Breakers 14U National Team won the Reebok Summer Invitational Tournament held at Basketball City in Boston Mass. As tournament champions, the RI Breakers won sneakers for each member on the team. The RI Breakers are headed to the National AAU Championship in Orlando’s Wide World of Sports July 31-August 8 to compete against teams from all across the 14U Breaker Reebok Champs Front row; Rob Hazard (North Kingstown), Mike Ferrante (North Providence),Garrett Douglass (Coventry), Patrick Doyle (Narragansett). Back row; Coach David Anderson, Ryan Anderson (Johnston), Julian Mardenli,(East Greenwich), Tevin Noka (Middletown), MJ Neal (North Providence), Cesar Mejia (Providence), Derryck Kilgore (North Kingstown) and Assistant Coach David Anderson.
RI Breakers Spring Showcase – Event RecapMarch 19th, 2008
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"They Stuck With Me" |
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Steady is a good word to describe Mazzulla’s game. In both of his games with the 76ers Wednesday at the Reebok ABCD Camp, the left-hander was effective at penetrating into the lane and making something positive happen either for himself or his teammates. One teammate in particular, Daniel Hackett (6-5 200) from Downey, Calif., was the benefactor of several of Mazzulla’s passes. Mazzulla also showed he can easily penetrate, stop on a dime and pull-up and hit the medium range jumper in the lane. Mazzulla demonstrated the ability to see the entire court, although he appears to be slightly less than his reported 6-2 height. On defense, Mazzulla is a very pesky defender and disrupted numerous passes by deflecting or stealing the ball from his opponent. “I’m not flashy.” Mazzulla said. “I ‘m
strong fundamentally and I make my teammates better by setting them up for
easy baskets or open looks. I’m definitely a pass-first, shoot-second kind
of player. I can score, don’t get me wrong, but being a strong leader on
the court is probably my greatest strength.” If Wednesday is any indication, WVU appears to have found a solid replacement at the point guard position to help ease the loss of J.D. Collins after this season. West Virginia has now settled into a nice rotation at the point. Nichols will have spent two seasons backing up Collins after next year, and will be primed to move into the starting spot as a junior. Mazzulla, arriving at the same time, could then follow Nichols' path and make his own push for the starting job two years later |
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CCRI's Mirkovic to join SMC in the fall
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College men's basketball coach Tom O'Shea has announced that Milos Mirkovic (Novi Sad, Serbia) has signed a NCAA national letter of intent and will play for the Division II Purple Knights this fall.
Mirkovic, a 6-foot-8-inch center, played one year for Coach David Chevalier at the Community College of Rhode Island after one season at Division II Wingate (N.C.) University and a standout high-school career at Saint Andrews School in Barrington, R.I. Mirkovic played in every game for CCRI this season, averaging 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. He led the Knights to an undefeated record in Region XXI play, and a District Tournament championship.
"Milos will give us a big body who is a post player, which is something we certainly need," said O'Shea, who enters his ninth season at the helm of the Purple Knights in the fall with a 124-106 career record. "He has played two years at the college level, which gives him the experience to step in and contribute immediately. We will look for him to rebound and become a post presence."
Hawks' Mazzulla
chooses West Virginia over URI
Journal / Ruben W. Perez
Bishop Hendricken guard Joe Mazzulla couldn't pass on the opportunity to play Big East basketball.
When all of the the handwritten postcards, school
brochures and pictures of one West Virginia athlete after another kept
coming to his house, Joe Mazzulla took notice.
Almost every day over the last year, the Bishop Hendricken junior point
guard found West Virginia material in his mail box. That's one key reason
why Mazzulla approached Mountaineer coach John Beilein on his official visit
to the campus on Tuesday.
"They put absolutely no pressure on me, but I found out that was the best
place for me," Mazzulla said yesterday. "So I went to coach Beilein and told
him I wanted to be a Mountaineer."
As Mazzulla spoke yesterday, he received a text message from his future
coach on his cell phone that read: We are all smiles here at West Virginia
University.
Mazzulla, a Journal All-Stater who led Hendricken to a 19-1 record and its
second straight state title last winter, said he'll sign a letter-of-intent
with WVU in November. He had narrowed his college choices down to WVU or
Rhode Island, and he says calling Rhody coach Jim Baron with the news on
Tuesday wasn't easy. Mazzulla and Baron's son, Jim, Jr., were backcourt
mates with the Hawks for two seasons.
"It was very tough to say no to Rhode Island, a very tough phone call,"
Mazzulla said. "But coach Baron knows I respect him a lot."
Mazzulla, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder who lives in Johnston, averaged 16 points,
8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2.5 steals as a junior. He's also a top track
athlete who just won the state 400 meters (49.77) and was part of a 4x400
relay team that finished second in the State Meet.
Mazzulla said he's always wanted to play in the Big East and had favored
Providence College. While the Friars recruited him for nearly two years, a
scholarship offer never came. That only cemented Mazzulla's belief in
Beilein, according to Mazzulla's father, Dan, a star hoop player at Bryant
in the 1970s.
"I'm ecstatic. We always talked about playing at the highest level," Dan
Mazzulla said, "and what happened with Providence might have left doubt in
Joe's mind, but West Virginia never wavered. Not once."
West Virginia first contacted Mazzulla after seeing him at a summer camp
before his sophomore year in high school. Beilein flew up here to watch Joe
Mazzulla work out at Hendricken two months ago, but no member of the
Mountaineers' coaching staff ever saw their future point guard play in a
Rhode Island high school game. They have seen him play extensively with his
AAU team, the Rhode Island Breakers.
Mazzulla will travel with the Breakers to tournaments in New Jersey and Las
Vegas this summer.
Mazzulla is a big hoops fan and couldn't hide his excitement over playing in
the new, 16-team Big East.
"Just the places I get to play in -- Freedom Hall, the Carrier Dome,
Cincinnati, Connecticut. It's great," he said.
Mazzulla becomes only the fourth Rhode Islander to play men's basketball in
the Big East, joining Tony Robertson (Connecticut), Abdul Abdullah (PC) and
Kenny McDonald (PC).
RI Breaker 13's Take Tourney
Title
Warwick, RI - The 13 yr old squad took home another title this weekend,
their third on the young season, with a championship game victory over Team
Providence at the Breaker's Spring Tournament at CCRI.
In their first game of the tournament on Friday night, an explosive scoring
attack led by guards Malcolm Moniz and Curt Lucas gave the Breakers a
decided advantage for a 83-39 victory. The 13's second game was a tough
contest against M.A.D. Basketball of Massachusetts. The Breakers opened up
an 18 point lead at one point in the second half before allowing the M.A.D.
club to creep back into the game and tie the score with 2 minutes to go in
regulation. Down by 1 with 11 seconds to go, forward Nick Manning drilled a
three point shot and was fouled to give the 13's the lead by two. Manning's
free throw attempt came up short and M.A.D. drove the length of the court to
tie the game and send the contest into overtime. Forward Quinneil Simmon's
free throws and defensive play at the end of overtime sealed the 55-52 win
for his squad. Defensively, the Breakers were led in the game by Simmons,
Manning, Moniz and forward Michael Ryan. The 13's final game was against
Mass Elite who proved to be overmatched versus the talented Breakers. Final
score was 86-46 in favor of the Breakers. Guard Jordan Jones and forward
Frank Robinson led the Breakers in scoring.
In the championship game, the 13's took on Team
Providence who had rolled
through their bracket in pool play. Team Providence's talented, athletic
squad gave the Breakers all they could handle in the first half playing
aggressive defense and forcing numerous turnovers. However led by the
scoring of Simmons, Jones and guard Bryan Vachon, the Breakers outscored
Team Providence an amazing 52-18 in the second half to pull away for the
championship. The team is off this weekend and will next play in the
Commotion by the Ocean tournament in Providence over Mother's Day Weekend.
The Breaker 13's will be traveling to Albany twice this season with trips
scheduled for Nike tournaments in Columbus, Ohio and Las Vegas, Nevada as
well as competing for the AAU National Championship in June in Memphis,
Tennessee.
Breaker 13's
Strong Effort Comes Up Short Versus Above and Beyond in Providence Jamfest
Providence, RI- At the
HoopGroup's 8th annual Providence Jamfest, the RI
Breaker's 13 yr old squad went undefeated in pool play with
victories over
CMAC North, the New Hampshire Stingrays, and the New Jersey Panthers
before
dropping a close quarter-final game in tournament play to a tough Above
and
Beyond (formally the NY Gouchos) squad.
With an 8 point lead and just over a minute remaining, the 13's couldn't
capitalize on a number of scoring opportunities off the Above and Beyond
press. After holding an 8-10 point lead for most of the game, the
Breakers
actually found themselves trailing by a point with 25 seconds to go when
forward Nick Manning was fouled. Manning made two free
throws with 18
seconds left to give his team the lead again 49-48. With only 11
seconds to
go, Above and Beyond sank two free throws to take the lead for good.
Playing well over the weekend for the Breaker 13's were Nick Manning
and
Quinneil Simmons along with Curt Lucas and Michael Ryan, both of
whom were
named to the All-Tournament team. The weekend was a successful one for
the
talented 13's who have proven they can play among the top teams at their
age
level. The Breaker 13's have the weekend off and will next play in the
Breakout Tournament the weekend of April 22-24.
HENDRICKEN'S JOE MAZZULLA
Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson
AAU basketball has grown to an extremely high
level of quality over the past twenty years. Often, a young player finds
his best opportunity to showcase his skills during the Spring and Summer
AAU season against top notch competition. This is especially true for up
and coming Rhode Island players, who play their high school ball in what
is generally thought of as a lower-end interscholastic league.
...MORE ON THIS STORY,
CLICK HERE
Breakers Bust Out At Barros BBall Classic
The 14 year old Breakers will be in action again this weekend in Providence at Hoop Groups Jam Fest Tournament.
SORRENTINE WINS FOURTH NE-10 FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK AWARD
COLCHESTER, Vt.
- Saint Michael's College men's basketball
standout James Sorrentine (Pawtucket,
R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) was named
the Northeast-10 Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday, while a pair of
Purple Knight cagers earned spots on the Weekly Honor Roll.
Sorrentine averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and just one
turnover per contest in a 1-1 week. He notched a game-high 28 points,
connecting on eight 3-pointers, and a team-best six assists in Tuesday's 89-84
win versus Assumption College at the Ross
Sports Center. He added 13 points, four rebounds and two steals in Saturday's
overtime loss at American International College.
This is the fourth time this season, and the second straight week, that
Sorrentine has earned top freshman honors. The 5-10 guard leads the conference
and all Division II freshmen with 3.75 3-pointers per game, and he has played
all 215 minutes for Saint Michael's the last five contests.
RAY CROSS NAMED HASBRO HERO!
CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE ON THE BREAKERS COACH
(ARTICLE IS IN ADOBE ACROBAT
FORMAT, SCROLL TO PAGE 17)
Prep star gets a head start at PC
Jon Kale, a 6-foot-8
forward at St. Andrew's School who has signed on to play for the Friars,
starting next season, feels right at home with his future teammates.
<click here for
more of the article>
SORRENTINE NAB'S NORTHEAST-10 FRESHMEN HONORS
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College first-year , James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael
Academy) was named Northeast-10
Conference Freshmen of the Week on Monday after leading the men's basketball
teams, to impressive home victories.
Sorrentine garnered his third NE-10 Freshman of the Week award this season after tallying a game-high 25 points, including seven 3-pointers, in Saturday's 86-84, double-overtime victory versus Le Moyne College. Sorrentine played all 50 minutes in the contest, and assisted on the game-winning basket with 0.5 seconds left. He leads all Division II freshmen (and is eighth nationally) with a league-leading 3.7 3-pointers per game.
Last Saturday, University of Vermont senior point guard T.J. Sorrentine scored 25 points -- including five 3-pointers -- to help the America East co-leaders defeat Maine, 67-66, in Burlington. Just across the Winooski River in Colchester, his brother James was doing his thing for St. Michael's as the freshman sank eight 3-point shots and scored 30 points as the Purple Knights held off Franklin Pierce, 80-73.
Because UVM's game started at noon, T.J. was able to be in the stands at St. Michael's for its 3 p.m. game to root for his brother.
"It's great to have him up here and at a great program like St. Michael's," said T.J., who is averaging 18.1 points and 4.7 assists for UVM. "It may be better for him to be close by since he is in his first year of college. Our parents love it and could not be happier with us being here. So many times we play on the same weekend they can catch both games in one trip."
The brothers were coached at Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, R.I., by their father, Tom. James, who was named Northeast-10 Rookie of the Week for the second time yesterday, was one trey shy of the St. Michael's record for a game and is second in the conference in 3-pointers per game at 3.4. T.J. leads the conference with 40 3-pointers.
"It was great to have my brother at the game watching and cheering me on," said James. "He's the player I try to mold my game after, both offensively and defensively."
St. Michael's coach Tim O'Shea said the younger Sorrentine has adapted to the college game better than most freshmen.
"He's a typical coach's son, just a real gym rat," said O'Shea. "He loves to work on his game and loves to practice, and that carries over into games."
UVM, meanwhile, is riding a six-game winning streak after beating Dartmouth, 78-68. T.J. leads America East and ranks 10th nationally at 3.6 3-pointers per game. He had made five or more 3-point field goals in his previous four games before last night, when he went 2 for 7.
"The one thing T.J. brings to the table," said UVM coach Tom Brennan, "is his tremendous hunger, as he wants to win so bad. He's our unquestioned leader and our hardest worker."
And a great role model for his brother.
South Kingstown's Matt Murphy, left, and Hendricken's David Wilson
vie for a rebound last night. Journal / Glenn
Osmundson
RI Breaker "Poster Child " D.J. Carcieri,
Hendricken goes after a loose ball
during a Division I game Tuesday. The Hawks won, 75-40.
Cincinnati's Eric Hicks shoots over Longwood's Lamar Barrett during a Las Vegas Holiday Classic game Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Men's Basketball Falls 88-56 At Old Dominion
December 20, 2004
NORFOLK, Va. – Longwood University dropped an 88-56 men’s basketball decision at Old Dominion University Monday night in Norfolk. The Monarchs (10-1) had four players in double-figure scoring, led by Isaiah Hunter with 17 points, while the Lancers (1-12) were led by freshman Lamar Barrett/Providence, R.I. (St. Andrews) with 17 points. Longwood will play again Thursday, Dec. 23, at Northern Iowa beginning at 8:05 p.m. in its opening game of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic
SORRENTINE WINS NE-10 WEEKLY AWARD
COLCHESTER, Vt. - James Sorrentine of Saint Michael's
College garnered the weekly Freshman of the Week award from the Northeast-10
Conference, it was announced on Monday.
In men's basketball, James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) received NE-10 Freshman of the Week accolades. The shooting guard averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 assists, two steals and just one turnover per game in a pair of league contests. At Pace University on Saturday, he set a program record with 15 3-point attempts (making six), while scoring a game-high and season-high 23 points, along with four rebounds and five assists. He added 12 points (4-of-9 on 3-pointers) versus Saint Anselm College on Wednesday.
With the buzz in the air being the Red Sox, Patriots and yes the Jets, 54 teams descended on the Community College of RI this weekend to battle for 7 championships. Great basketball was witnessed at all levels. The following teams took away Team Trophies and T-Shirts:
2005 RI Breaker Dates as Follows:
www.ribreakers.com
860-928-1604 Dave Vitale
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Former Breaker Joins
RIC Staff |
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MEN'S BASKETBALL OFFICE |
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Jonathan Gibbs enters his first season as an assistant men’s basketball
coach at Rhode Island College. He assists head coach Jack Perri with all
phases of the RIC men’s basketball program including recruiting,
scouting, administering practices and game coaching. |
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It’s A Wrap……..
Most kids use a weekend in August as one of their last chances to goof around before school starts but around 300 kids from 7 states and Canada “Wrapped Up” their AAU season in Providence this weekend.
New Hampshire Knicks, Ct. Clippers, Tim Thomas Playaz, New Haven Heat, RI Hawks, NJ Trailblazers, Greater Boston Lions, Montreal Ballers, Merrimack NH HS, Philly Heat, Monmouth Power NJ, Manhasset (NY) All-Stars, Staten Island Gym Rats, Mass Hoop Jaguars, Middletown (CT) Bulldogs, Sun Youth (Montreal), Capital District Raptors, and RI Breakers played through the rain, heat and humidity in a great weekend of basketball. Championship teams received a team trophy, team MVP, & T-Shirts for players and coaches
One sad note, The NJ Knighthawks were involved in a minor accident in NY that resulted in the team having to turn back to NJ. Everyone was OK and we wish them well.
04’ Wrap-Up Tournament Champions:
11's RI Breakers 66, Tim Thomas Playaz 41
12's RI Breakers 78, New Haven Heat 74
15/16's Capital District Raptors 3-0 pool play… No Championship game
MVP: Cody Daigle
17's RI Breakers 76 Montreal Ballers 45
MVP: DJ Carcieri - RI Breakers
Leading most of the way against the home town team wasn't good enough as the Breakers were not able to withstand the loss of four players to fouls as the host Annesse Sports Tennessee defeated the Breakers 56-54 in game two of pool play.
Facing a must win situation the Breakers responded with a solid team effort with great help from the bench to overcome a very strong Team Texas for a 59-56 victory.
The Breakers enter the National Tournament on Wednesday, July 7th, with a 10:00AM game vs. the Spartanburg Bucks from South Carolina
Breaker Teams Headed To The Nationals
Rhode Island's Sanders scores 29 in leading team to win over
Skillz
The first day of pool play in the 2004 AAU Boys
15-under National Championship Tournament saw a number of outstanding
individual performances, games that came down to the wire, and also a few
blowouts.
Here are some of Sunday's highlights.
In Pool P, the Rhode Island Breakers got a 29-point outburst from Rakin Sanders, as the Breakers outlasted the Fox Valley Skillz 54-50.
Fox Valley, which was held to 22 second-half points, was led by Keaton Nankivil with 13 points.
Breakers Shine As Hartford City Stars Fade
John Smith’s RI Breaker 15-year-old team had one mission in mind when they agreed to play in the Hartford City Star Classic this past weekend at Buckley High School in Hartford, and that was to avenge a loss they sustained against the Stars in Providence at the 'BREAKOUT' Tournament in April. Mission accomplished.
The Breakers breezed through their first two games in pool play but had a lofty opponent to get through just to get out of pool play, the Massachusetts Gold Boston Blazers. The Blazers came out of the gate early posting a 4-0 lead but the Breakers went on a 5-0 run and never looked back on route to a 58-51 victory.
The Middletown Bulldogs were the next hurdle for the Breakers and the Bulldogs bark was bigger than its bite. Middletown Connecticut, home to former great University of Connecticut All-American Corny Thompson, was outplayed in a lopsided 51-21 victory.
The championship game saw the Stars break out to a 17-4 early lead only to see the Breakers answer with a 36-7 run to end the half with a comfortable 40-24 lead. To Hartford’s credit, they chipped away to cut the lead, and had it not been for a Joey Accaoui jumper the Breakers might not have held on to the thrilling 63-61 finish.
"The kids really came together this weekend. The return of Rakim Sanders (3 thunderous dunks over the weekend) seemed to energize the rest of the team. We shared the ball and played exhausting defense," Smith said.
The Breakers will be hosting a Pre-National Tournament on June 26-27 in Providence for age groups 15-17. Few spots remain. Go to www.ribreakers.com or email dv@myeastern.com for more information.
17:U Age Division
The Rhode Island Breakers lived up to their nickname at the 2004 GymRat CHALLENGE, 'breaking' the title aspirations of several formidable foes with a series of second-half comebacks to secure the 17-and-under division title. Rhode Island likely wouldn't have escaped its Round of 16 contest against the NYC Rise Panthers without the stellar play of tourney MVG (Most Valuable GymRat) Joe Mazzula. The 6-foot-1 lefty point guard sliced through the Panthers for a game-high 18 points, including 10 over the final three minutes. Shawn Crawford provided the Panthers a 51-49 lead on a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left and when Anthony Clarke stole the ball with 12 seconds left, Rhode Island's tournament appeared to be over. But Clarke missed on a lay-up and the Breakers outletted the ball to Jimmy Baron, who drained a 3-pointer with one second left to propel Rhode Island to a thrilling come-from-behind triumph. In the semifinals, the Breakers trailed the powerful New York City Jaguars by 14 midway through the second half before Mazzula and Baron worked their magic again. Baron scored 17 of his game-high 20 points after intermission -- including completing several gorgeous set-ups from Mazzula. Baron drained five 3-pointers in the second half, while Mazzula contributed 11 of his 15 points after intermission as the Breakers rallied for a 66-63 victory. T.J. Stokes scored 18 points and Richard Thomas added 16 points for the Jaguars.
Mazzula suffered a leg injury in the semifinal victory and it limited his unstoppable drives to the basket against the Stamford Express. Still, Mazzula maintained his effectiveness by hitting timely jumpers and setting up teammates like Baron, Dave Wilson and Zerimar Ramirez to spoil Stamford's bid for the tournament title. Job Casimir, Stamford's dynamic 5-11 point guard, put together a spectacular three-point blitz that fell just short. Mazzula, who won't celebrate his 16th birthday until June 30, put the Express away with two foul shots with three seconds left and later received a victory ride from his teammates after the announcement he had earned MVP honors.
"It was difficult playing hurt, but it was just a matter of keeping my mind focused on the task at hand. I didn't want to let my teammates down," said Mazzula, an honors student at Bishop Hendricken. "This was such a great team effort," Rhode Island head coach Dave Vitale said. "Joe is very deserving of MVP honors and Jimmy Baron hit a lot of big shots. We were behind in some games and fought back with defense and smart team play."
17:U GymRat CHALLENGE-MVG-Most Valuable GymRat
Joe Mazzula (6-foot-1 Point Guard, Rhode Island Breakers): The talented lefty slasher simply couldn't be stopped on his numerous junkets to the basket. Mazzula spearheaded a serious of comebacks in the championship round to guide the Breakers to the tournament title. The 15-year old point guard, who is also the New England region 400-meter sprint champion in track and field, displayed exceptional decision-making skills, a silky-smooth jump shot and an uncanny knack at making crucial defensive plays by attacking the passing lanes or simply shutting down anyone he guarded. Mazzula, who turns 16 on June 30, played on guts alone in the championship game after suffering a leg injury at the end of a semifinal victory over the NYC Jaguars. Mazzula will be a junior in September, meaning he still has two years left to expand on an already-advanced game.
17:U All-GymRat CHALLENGE Team
Jimmy Baron (6-3 G, Rhode Island Breakers): The Worcester Academy bound CLUTCH sharpshooter hit BIG shots when they counted for the 17:U champs, including a game winning three in the round of 16. Arguably, the best range in the event, but make no mistake, there are several dimensions to Baron's game, including an adept ability to put the ROCK in the right place. High basketball IQ meets big basketball ability.
Honorable
Mention Selections
Dave Wilson (6-5 F, Rhode Island Breakers)
Michael Gore (6-6 G/F, Rhode Island Breakers)
Zerimar Ramirez (6-6 C/F, Rhode Island Breakers)
16:U All-GymRat CHALLENGE Team
Honorable Mention Selections
Kashef Montgomery (Rhode Island Breakers)
15:U All-GymRat CHALLENGE Team
Joey Accaoui (5-9 PG, Rhode Island Breakers): Exceptional shooter with great range to go along with solid fundamental skills. Plays point and shooting guard. Sees the floor extremely well and finds teammates at right time. A pesky defender
Vitale switches
allegiances
Former Putnam boys basketball
coach takes over at Marianapolis.
By Al North
Special to the Norwich Bulletin
There were some epic battles between the Putnam and Marianapolis boys basketball teams when the two both belonged to the Quinebaug Valley Conference and, briefly, the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
There were also some epic squabbles between the Putnam and Marianapolis coaching staffs.
Dave Vitale was more than familiar with them, in fact, he was in the middle of them.
Vitale served as Tony Falzarano's assistant coach with the Putnam Clippers for 25 years but left the high school sidelines two years ago.
Vitale re-surfaced this week as he has been named the head coach of the school he used to love to beat - Marianapolis.
"I told them I wasn't interested in any other job in the States of Connecticut or Rhode Island; this is really the only job that piqued my curiosity," Vitale said.
"The school and it's administration see the same things that I do. They want to put on a quality program with quality kids who will represent the school well and they want to win."
It's the first head coach's position at this level for Vitale, who continued to coach on the AAU level after he resigned as a Putnam assistant. His reputation, however, precedes him and Marianapolis Athletic Director Eric Gustavson was more than pleasantly surprised to hear that Vitale was as interested in the Thompson school as they were in him.
"After Chuck (Bourgeois) stepped down, I had kidded around with him about him taking over the program but I never thought he would do it especially given the history of the rivalry," Gustavson said.
"It's certainly a great land for the school and we hope he brings us in a different direction and attracts a lot of scholar-athletes to the program," the Marianapolis AD added.
And in this case, reputation can go a long way.
"He has the name recognition, is a proven coach and a proven winner. We don't want to take kids from one certain program but rather get kids from Worcester, Norwich and other areas -- and he's a big drawing card," Gustavson explained.
The program had been under the guidance of a former Vitale charge, Fred Touchette, but the Knights had not been as competitive as they had hoped in their first two years in the Southeastern New England Prep School League.
"The program has had a little downside over the last couple of years, but I think with everything in place and everyone working toward the same goals," Vitale said. "I think we can right the ship."
The new coach will have an upside to deal with immediately as the Thompson school now has a waiting list for entrants and can afford to be a little more selective when it comes to who will be admitted.
Vitale also loves the idea that he doesn't have to deal with rules imposed by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
"It's a lot different than public school because your hands are tied in the public schools. Being able to work kids out where the CIAC doesn't allow you to meet with your players in the offseason legally and prep school is more lenient on that issue," Vitale explained.
"They encourage you to put a good product on the field or court, make those kids available, and a student-athlete should want to take advantage of that opportunity to further his education."
Gustavson re-emphasized something he said when Marianapolis left the ECC for the Prep School ranks. The administration of the school doesn't want a basketball factory, but does want a program they can take pride in which will attract student athletes. And that is what Vitale is expected to do.
The new head coach has also been given the authority to choose his coaching staff and that may also have a decidedly Putnam flavor.
Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike Gillian Announces 2004 Recruits
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| Men's Basketball Head Coach Mike Gillian |
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University men's basketball head coach
Mike Gillian has announced that four high school seniors
have signed a National Letter of Intent to compete for the
institution's men's basketball program. The Lancers are required to meet
Division I scheduling requirements during 2004-05 as the program will be a
countable Division I opponent, and will be included in the all-important
Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) during the second year of its four-year
transition period toward Division I reclassification and official
certification in September 2007.
Lamar Barrett, a 6-5, 185-pound forward from St. Andrew's
School (Rhode Island Breakers) in Barrington, R.I.,
Jason Davis, a 6-3, 185-pound guard-forward from Windsor
High School in Windsor, Conn., Brandon Giles, a 5-10,
145-pound guard from Magruder High School in Rockville, Md., and
Dana Smith, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from C.D. Hylton High School
in Woodbridge, will each join the Longwood program this fall.
"BARRETT averaged 11.3 points and 8.9 rebounds this year while leading St. Andrew's to a record of 25-7 and the New England Final Four. He was a McDonald's All-American nominee while earning honorable mention All-America from Street & Smith's magazine, All-New England, and All-State honors in Rhode Island. Barrett posted 10.3 points and 7.4 rebounds as a junior and finished his prep career with 1,102 points and 918 rebounds. St. Andrew's School has retired his jersey.
"Lamar is a very good all-around player," explained Gillian. "He is the type of multi-dimensional player that we want to have in the program and we are expecting him to make an immediate contribution. Lamar can defend any of the positions on the court, is a very good rebounder at both ends, and a crafty scorer. He scored over 1000 points in high school playing against some of the best competition in the country."
Longwood will open 2004-05 with its participation in a tournament hosted by Ivy League member Columbia University in New York City on November 19-20, 2004. The Lancers will be joining the host Lions (10-17) in the event along with Morehead State University (16-13) and Mount St. Mary's College (10-19).
PURPLE KNIGHT MEN INK
SORRENTINE TO NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT
Pawtucket's
James Sorrentine signs with Saint Michael's
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College men's basketball coach Tom O'Shea has announced that James Sorrentine, a Pawtucket, R.I. native has signed a NCAA national letters of intent and will play for the Division II Purple Knights as freshmen this fall.
"Sorrentine, a 5-10 point guard, was also a 1,000-point scorer at Saint Raphael Academy. He led Saint Raphael to the Rhode Island Division I-AA semifinals, scoring 29 points in a quarterfinal win and 18 in the semifinal loss to the eventual state champion. Sorrentine averaged a team-leading 18.5 points per contest last season, and also contributed 4.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He led the Saints by connecting on 42 percent (87-for-208) of his three-point attempts.
"James is a dedicated worker, and he doesn't miss any workouts," said Tom Sorrentine, James' father and the boy's basketball coach at Saint Raphael. "Offensively James is pretty sound, and he's a terrific foul shooter. He really loves the Saint Michael's coaching staff, as those guys will be his father for four years."
"James is a very good three-point shooter who had an excellent career playing for his father at Saint Raphael," said O'Shea. "We look for James to play both point guard and shooting guard for us."
80 teams from 8 states
jammed into the Community College of RI, Providence Country Day, and the
Wheeler School for 3 days of great basketball. With Sunday being Easter,
competition started Thursday evening with 16 games. In the 17 year old
division tough competition was packed into 3 pools. The Pool A favorite Doc
Nicelli’s Student Athletes Broncos had all it could handle with an overtime
victory over the Ct. Knights, a hard fought victory over the Ct. Northstars
North and a thriller over the Boston Blazers. In Pool B Shaq attack withstood
2 battles from the Baystatemagic and CT Northstars South and overpowered the
Atlantic Swish. In Pool C, the RI Breakers handled the South Shore Patriots
and the Boston Gators and had to come from behind to defeat the NH Playaz in
the last 4 minutes. Shaq Attack led from start to finish over the Bronco’s
and surprised the NYC team with a 13 point victory. In the championship, the
Breakers dug in on defense in the second half and slipped by the rival Shaq,
with a hard fought 56-49 victory. Jim Baron led the way with 20 while Joe
Mazzula added 16. Teams were awarded championship and MVP trophies as well as
embroidered knap sacks for all players on the winning team.
17’s – RI Breakers 56, Shaq Attack 49
16’s - Middlesex Magic 64, RI Breakers 54
15’s - RI Breakers 56, CT. Nike Elite 42
14’s - Team ROC NYC 54, RI Breakers 27
13’s – Boston Blazers Byron 45, Bay State Magic 39
12’s – RI Breakers 62, Bay State Warriors
11’s – RI Breakers 67- Baystatemagic 60
Jim Baron, Hendricken
Connor Evans, Cranston East
Derrick Knighton, Hope
Chris Young, Hope
Kofo Edmonds, Hope
Mike McParland, La Salle
Darrell Taylor, Mt. Pleasent
Anthony Fiocco, North Providence
Lamar Barrett, St Andrew's
Ray Cross, St Andrew's
Nick Mattone, St Andrew's
James Sorrentine, St Ray's
Jeff Xavier, St Ray's
R.I. Breakers capture 14-and-under title at Milt Kelley tourney
| DAVID WOLCOTT , Gazette Staff Writer | 03/26/2004 |
TAUNTON -- The Rhode Island Breakers took the 14-and-under division at the
Milt Kelley Memorial Basketball Tourney last night with a 56-50 win over
the Boston Squires.
R.I.
Breakers 56, Boston Squires 50 (14-and-under championship game)
Richard King scored nine points for the winners, tossing in nine points
last night to help his team to the win. Jerrell Gomes led the winners with
12 points while Kevin Barr scored 20 points for the Boston Squires in the
loss.
King was named MVP for the 14-and-under bracket.
The 12 year old Breakers captured their first title of the year in the Boston
Saintz BeanTown Massacre. A great team effort helped the Breakers to a 4-0
weekend. Saturday the team beat the Bay State Jaguars handily and then
defeated a very good Rochester (NY) Eastside team 53-42. Joe Sharkey lead the
way offensively against Rochester and Nick Manning played great defense to
help the team to victory. Sunday the Breakers beat M.A.D. from Dochester Ma,
by 8 and then had a rematch with Rochester. The rematch resulted in a 8 point
victory lead by Curtis Lucas and Malcolm Moniz. The team heads to Patterson
NJ this upcoming weekend to play in the Tim Thomas Playaz tournament to paly
the likes of the NY Gauchos, the Playaz and Sam Rhines(Philadelphia).
City Stars, Breakers Dominate Play
4th Annual Tedino Memorial in the books
44 teams from 9 states jammed into the Community College of Rhode Island's Knight Campus for the 4th Annual George Tedino Memorial Boys Basketball Tournament. With the tournaments focus on the memory of the former Breaker Coach, teams competed like they were in mid season form.
The Hartford City Stars headed back to the Nutmeg's State capitol city with two championships. A hard fought 1 point victory of the Breakers in the 12 year old division. In the 15 year old division the City Stars survived a battle from the RI Breakers in semi final action with a one point overtime thriller and a 15 point victory over a powerful Brockton Blackhawks team to take the crown. These 3 teams can surely be considered 3 of the premiere teams in New England and the Northeast. Former Providence College star Corey Wright's 13 year old Young Bucks took home the gold and put Rhode Island and New England teams on notice that they are ready to go. The Breakers were champs in the 14, 16, and 17's where Andy Matteson's 16's came from 20 down in the championship to squeak out a victory. A new team out of Hartford, the Hartford Knights, gave Mike Stephen's RI State Champs all they could handle before they pulled away late to capture the championship. The 17's clicked on all cylinders to go undefeated and beat Pete Waters' WBA Hawks in championship play.
Thanks to all who participated and we look forward to competing again.
Life Lesson
It's been a life-changing decision, one that could catapult Andrew Lyell into the national college basketball consciousness.
But that doesn't mean it was any easier for the former Portsmouth High standout to leave home last fall and enroll at Northfield (Mass.) Mount Hermon School in pursuit of his personal hoops dream.
"I'm getting used to it. Every day that
goes by, it's getting better and better. And now that it's basketball
season it makes it a lot easier," Lyell said on a
recent trip to town.
He continued, "It was like the week before the end of summer when the
decision was made. I wasn't ready to leave. It really took me by
surprise. I was really upset. I wanted to be here this year."
Lyell left Portsmouth
High and friends behind not on his volition...
for the rest of this story, click
HERE
Johnson & Wales Romps; Russell shatters scoring margin
Senior Rohan Russell scored a career-high 43 points and became Johnson & Wales's all-time leading scorer as the Wildcats defeated Albertus Magnus, 107-76. Russell has 1,179 career points in only two seasons passing the previous mark of 1,169 set in four years by Anthony Williams from 1995-1999.
Nichols' 17 not enough; Providence tops
Syracuse 74-61
Josh Odugbela '99, pictured
with his parents, as his jersey is retired. Josh had an impressive record when
he was a student at St. Andrew's, and Coach Hart wanted to honor him in this
way. Josh is currently an intern faculty member at St. Andrew's, teaching
media production, and is a dorm parent and basketball coach.
Gaffney, Lyell lead Mount Hermon over MCI
Basketball - Boys Varsity vs. National Prep Invtl
NMH (16-4) 41 41 (12) 94 (OT) MCI 36 46 (10) 92 What a great game! Despite losing senior captain and point guard Kashif Payne to an ankle injury half way through the first half, NMH defeated powerhouse Maine Central Institute (MCI) in overtime by the score of 94-92. NMH jumped off to a quick 15-7 lead against the smaller but very quick and talented MCI team as they controlled the pace of the game in the early going. A Tony Gaffney half court shot at the buzzer gave NMH a 41-36 lead at halftime. Gaffney was awesome in the first half as he poured in 17 first half points including 5 dunks and the half court buzzer-beater. The second half was the Andrew Lyell show as the junior guard came off the bench to fill in for the injured Kashif Payne and managed to toss in 15 second half points including 4 three point shots. NMH upped their lead after half to 13 (54-41) with 15 minutes to go in the game but MCI came charging back to cut the lead to 60-59 with 9 minutes left in the contest. Andrew Lyell then hit 3 three pointers in a 2 minute span to give NMH a 69-64 lead with 7:00 left on the clock but the fun was just beginning. MCI never let up as they stormed back to take a 72-71 lead with 4 minutes left in the game. This was their first lead since the opening minute and from this point on there would be 5 lead changes and 3 tie scores in the final 4 minutes of regulation as the teams matched each other basket for basket. NMH went on an 8-2 run to go up by 5 only to see MCI make a run of their own to take a 80-79 lead over the Hoggers with 1:00 left in the game. Boris Meno's huge three point play with :38 left gave NMH the 82-80 lead but MCI managed to knot the score at 82 as they hit a basket with half a second left in regulation and the game went to overtime. NMH scored the first 7 points of the extra session as they took a 89-82 lead with 3:30 left in the overtime period. Dorien Brown hit three foul shots down the stretch to give NMH a 92-89 lead with :39 left on the clock however MCI never quit as they came back once again and tied the score on a long three pointer with 16 seconds left in overtime. NMH brought the ball down court and got it to Dorien Brown down low who missed a tough shot but Boris Meno came up big once again as he grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back in with 2 seconds remaining in the game sealing the exciting win for NMH. Highlights: Dorien Brown: 20 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 blocks Tony Gaffney: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals Colin McIntosh: 19 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists Andrew Lyell: 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists Boris Meno: 16 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks Alex Popp: 6 rebounds
Nichols scores 12 in 1st start for
Syracuse
Freshman
Demetris Nichols
made his first start of the season and had a career game, scoring a
personal-best 12 points and grabbing a career-high eight rebounds in 27
minutes of action.
Coach Boeheim Quotes
On the game:
“In the first half offensively and defensively we were very good. We moved
the ball around and got people involved. Demetris (Nichols)
stepped up with a couple of big shots.
On Demetris Nichol’s Performance:
“He (Nichols) did a nice job. He got squared up and had a couple of good
transitions and hit that big three. And he had a nice game defensively.
Overall, he had a real good night.
“We wanted to see how we could go with the bigger lineup. We’re a little bigger with Demetris (Nichols) and he’s really our second best three-point shooter.”
National Prep Basketball Poll - Week 5
By Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman
The National Prep Basketball Poll is compiled by national high school sports experts Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman and a panel of sportswriters. The national Top 25 and regional Top 10's follow with won-loss records:
Northeast
1. New York, Rice, 6-0
2. Mount Vernon, N.Y., 6-1
3. Philadelphia, Cardinal Dougherty, 4-1
4. Bronx, N.Y., St. Raymond, 5-1
5. Jersey City, N.J., St. Anthony, 3-0
6. West Orange, N.J., Seton Hall Prep, 3-0
7. Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln, 8-3
8. Barrington, R.I., St. Andrews, 10-0
9. Stamford, Conn, Trinity Catholic, 2-0
10. Lawrence, Mass., Catholic Central, 4-0
The Christmas season is just beginning for many of the schools in Richmond area; however; Huguenot High School Head Coach John Siers received an early Christmas present this fall when Emery Outland arrived at the Richmond school. Outland, a 5’10 senior, came to Huguenot via The St. Andrew’s School in Rhode Island.
Putnam coach
Tony Falzarano reacts during first-quarter play at the Clipper
Classic on Tuesday night at Putnam High School. The Clippers defeated
Ellis Tech 72-33 to give Falzarano his 500th career victory.
He is just the eighth boys' basketball coach in state history to reach
the milestone.
Apparently, Jeff Xavier
enjoys playing in holiday tournaments in the Bay State.
On Saturday night in the Chelsea Holiday Tournament, the St. Raphael Academy
senior poured in a tourney-record 51 points to lead the Saints to a
thrilling, 88-83 overtime win over Lexington High, the No.-2 rated team in
Boston. A year earlier, Xavier had popped in 49 in a
77-75 triumph over Cambridge Rindge & Latin, then 32 more in a loss to J.E.
Burke High in the Cohasset Holiday Tournament. But he topped himself on
Saturday. Xavier hit nine three-pointers along with
eight rebounds and eight assists, and his driving layup in the final seconds
sent the game into overtime, where the Saints outscored Lexington, 14-9.
James Sorrentine added 24 points for SRA and Seth
Desautel contributed 10. Lexington's 6-foot-8 center Mark McDonald dumped in
32 points in a losing effort.
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3
Local Players Prepare For Action
With Mount Hermon Prep |
| Tony Gaffney 6'7''.....195.....'04 Guard/ Forward.....Berkeley, MA Tony comes to NMH from Somerset High School where he had a story book year. As a junior his team had a 2-20 record. His senior year, he led Somerset HS to 21-4 record and a semifinal loss in the state Div II tournament. Tony nearly averaged a quadruple double. He averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, 11 blocks and 7 assists per contest. Tony was named the Eastern Athletic Conference MVP, and was named to the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald's All-Scholastic teams. Bostonpreps.com named Tony the Massachusetts Player of the year. Tony was also given the Dave Cowens Award which recognizes the Southeastern Mass student-athlete of the year. Tony leaves Somerset HS in the very capable hands of his younger brother, Bud. During his Post Graduate year, Tony will be studying English, Environmental Studies, Astronomy, Violence and Nonviolence and Calculus. Tony has signed a national letter of intent to play his college basketball at BOSTON UNIVERSITY. |
| Andrew Lyell 6'5''.....190.....'05 Guard.....Portsmouth, RI Andrew joins the NMH community from Portsmouth HS in Rhode Island. Last year, he averaged 22 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 steals per game. He led his team to a 16-7 record and a loss in the state semi-finals. Andrew was named 1st team All-Division, Newport County Player of the Year and All-Tournament at the State championships. He is a member of Mike Stevens' Rhode Island Breakers AAU squad. This year, Andrew will be able to see time at both guard positions. We expect big contributions from Andrew for Bill Batty's club. Andrew was recently ranked the #1 junior in the state of Rhode Island. During his junior year, Andrew will be studying Religion in America at the Millennium, Environmental Studies, Multiculturalism in US History, Latin, American Literature and Precalculus. Andrew is getting early looks from the Big East and Atlantic 10 conferences. |
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Alex Thayer Last year, Alex averaged 4.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2 assists a game for Bill Batty's squad. Two year ago, Alex played for St. Ray's in Providence and helped them win their 4th consecutive state title. Alex has a very high "basketball IQ" and is an athletic 2 guard. He has been a solid off guard/ small forward for Coach Batty's program. This past summer Alex helped Jason Elliot's Rhode Island Hawks AAU program surprise some bigger programs with some solid wins and a tournament win in West Virginia. Last year, he was ranked as one of the Top 20 juniors in the state by Bostonpreps.com. During his senior year , Alex will be studying Anthropology, Psychology, Ideology and Revolution, Literature and Composition, Economics and Precalculus. Alex is a solid student with over 1200 on his SAT's. Alex is interested in Babson, Bates and Connecticut College for his college career. |
Mills, Mullen, Lehane get Stang started off on right
foot
DARTMOUTH -- John Mills helped keep his
team in the game with 12 first-half points, and Liam Mullen helped
Bishop Stang pull away in the second half as the Spartans opened
their 2003-04 boys basketball season with a 69-45 victory over visiting
Norwood Saturday.
Mullen, less than 300 points shy of becoming the all-time leading boys scorer
in school history, scored 12 of his game-high 19 points in the second half, as
the Maroon & Silver turned a tight game into a rout.
"We played great," said Stang coach Joe Balestracci. "We put a lot of pressure
on them defensively. I think we had them turn it over 12 times in the first
half." Mills was the second of three Spartans in double figures with 18
points in his first varsity starting assignment. The junior also dished the
ball off effectively and played solid defense. Mike Lehane,
the 6-foot-5 sophomore who missed most of last season with an ACL
(knee) injury, returned to score 12 points while rebounding effectively at
both ends of the court.
Foul-troubled Hilltoppers just hold off
Attleboro
FALL RIVER
-- Holding off a late charge with its star player on the bench, Durfee
edged visiting Attleboro, 50-47, last night in season-opening action for both
teams.
Durfee was led by its usual big gun, Jamal Johnson, who
finished with 21 points, only four of which came in the second half. He was
the only Hilltopper to score in double figures and his performance included a
couple of NBA-distance 3-pointers. His absence in the final minutes after
fouling out had the Durfee fans on the edge of their seats.
Durfee, led by Johnson's exploits from the deep perimeter,
started quickly and led by 12 points with 5:37 left in the first half.
Attleboro's Dan Smith then came in off the bench and provided a spark with
some solid work on the boards. Dunner then started to light it up from the
outside and the Bombardiers were able to cut their deficit to seven points at
the intermission.
Yakavonis, Bradley, get Bowdoin off to 3-0 start.
FARMINGTON, Maine - The Bowdoin men's basketball team defeated Thomas in their season-opener on Friday at the Maine-Farmington Tournament, 114-64.
Bowdoin came out of the gate quickly and dominated defensively and in transition as point guard Kevin Bradley controlled the pace of play. Mark Yakavonis added 5 points and 12 rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
FARMINGTON, Maine - The Bowdoin men's basketball team, captured the UMF Hight Memorial Tournament on Saturday by defeating the host Beavers 62-48. Bowdoin is 2-0 on the year. Rebounding was the name of the game for the Polar Bears, who had three players in double-digit boards. Mark Yakavonis (8 points, 14 rebounds), automatic from the Yakavonis also earned All-Tournament honors.
2002-03 SIGNINGS AND COMMITMENTS:
NEWARK, DE -- University of Delaware's men's basketball coach David Henderson has announced the signing of four student-athletes during the National Letter of Intent program's early signing period.
The Blue Hens have signed commitments from 6-8 forward Henry Olawoye, 6-7 forward Octavius Flowers, 6-7 forward Herb Courtney, and 6-9 forward Lebo Maepa.
Olawoye is a Woonsocket, RI native who enrolled two years ago at St. Mark's Prep School in Southbourough, MA, a suburb of Boston. Last season, he earned All-Independent School League honors at St. Mark's, averaging 14.8 and 9.3 rpg. He also earned all-tournament honors at the Boys Club of New York Holiday Classic. He is also a member of St. Mark's baseball squad.
Stony Brook Bests Army, 69-44
Dec. 11, 2003
Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. - D.J. Munir scored 26 points, leading three Stony Brook players in double figures as the Seawolves snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Army 69-44 Thursday night at West Point's Christl Arena.
Munir, who entered the game shooting just 27.1 percent from the field, connected on 11 of 18 shots from the floor, helping Stony Brook (2-3) to 45.6 percent shooting as the Seawolves dealt the Black Knights (3-5) their third successive loss.
D.J. Munir scores a game-high 26 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
Former "BREAKER" To Be Honored
 |
Dante Balestracci |
 |
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Five Harvard Football Players Named To All-New England Team
For Balestracci, the honor marked the fourth consecutive year in which the Crimson linebacker was so recognized. Harvard's four other honorees were first-time All-New England selections.
Balestracci,
who in November became the first player in history to be named to the
All-Ivy League first team four times, was Harvard's leader in tackles (96),
sacks (11), and tackles for losses (21) in 2003. He was a unanimous
first-team All-Ivy League selection and a finalist for the Buch Buchanan
Award as the top defensive player in Division I-AA.
Milos off to good start at Wingate
University
http://www.wingate.edu/athletics/Mbsktb/BASKET.asp
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15 Milos Mirkovic |
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Center/Forward |
Milos Mirkovic played two years of basketball at St. Andrew’s for Coach Mike Hart…A McDonald’s All-American team nominee, Mirkovic led St. Andrew’s to a 28-8 overall record in 2002-03…He averaged 10 points per game and nine rebounds per game as the team won the New England championship his senior season…The team finished in the top 25 nationally in 2002-03…Thanks to his efforts, St. Andrew’s compiled a 53-16 overall record over the last two seasons…Mirkovic was named a top 300 prospect by several recruiting services…
Stony Brook Falls To St. John's, 72-61
2003
STONY BROOK, N.Y. (AP) - Grady Reynolds scored a career-high 26 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field and St. John's defeated Stony Brook 72-61 on Saturday night for its first victory of the season.
Monarchs Fall To No. 9 North Carolina, 90-64
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Roy Williams was back, and No. 9 North Carolina might be, too. The storied program lost a combined 36 games the last two seasons, but the Tar Heels gave their new coach an impressive victory in his debut, beating Old Dominion 90-64 Saturday night. ODU freshman Abdi Lidonde led the Monarchs with a career high 15 points in his college debut. He hit five of eight from 3 point range.
RI Breaker's Fall League Crowns Champions
The Annual Providence Recreation and Rhode Island Breakers fall league came to a wrap on Saturday November 15 with 2 exciting games. In the middle school league, League MVP Mike Holland and Playoff MVP Nick Maseo pulled the Miami team to the victory over upset minded St John's, led by all league selections Angel Pucci and Corey Wright. Maseo took the game over in the second half and helped bring the title to the first place team throughout the season.
In the high school championships, the Bulls, lead by Manhatten-bound Jeff Xavier and all league selection 8th grader Jerrel Gomes, put up 53 points in the first half and hung on to win by an 88-84 count over the Hornets lead by playoff MVP Preston Stephens and all league selection Matt Lynch. It was an exciting night of basketball for the many who were in attendence and a great way to end the season as the High School season begins next week.
Good Luck to all players from the league.
High school all league team:
Kofo Edmonds (Hope), Knicks
Darryl Taylor (Mt Pleasent), Celtics
Matt Lynch (Ponaganset), Hornets
Ariel Ramirez (Mt Pleasent), Lakers
Zerimar Ramirez (St Andrew's), Lakers
Jerrel Gomes (8th Grade), Bulls
Brandon Scott (Hope), 76ers
Mike Gore (St Andrew's), Suns
Co League MVP:
James Sorretine (St Ray's), Kings
Ray Cross (St Andrew's), Suns
Co Playoff MVP:
Preston Stephens (Central), Hornets
Jeffery Xavier (St Ray's), Bulls
ECAC Basketball Star on the Rise
|
November 10, 2003 |
Congratulations
to our Class of 2003 graduates.
The following student athletes will be continuing to help bring the Rhode
Island basketball scene into more prominence. Special congratulations to
Demetris Nichols, the first Breaker to play in the BIG
EAST, he will be attending defending National Champions Syracuse Orangemen.
Also this year we will have two players attending schools in the Colonial
Conference. Abdi Lidonde at
Old Dominion and Henry Olawoye at Delaware. They will
get to continue the battles they had against each other in HS for St. Andrews
and St. Marks, respectively. So again congratulations and good luck to all
former Breakers players.
Demetris Nichols - Syracuse
Abdi Lidonde - Old Dominion
Henry Olawoye - Delaware
Justin Wright - UNH (Football)
Kiley Lynch - Coastal Carolina
Josh Corria - Ithica
Kevin Bradley - Bowdion
Jim Reynolds - CCRI
Paul Pawlowski - UMass Dartmouth
Milos Mirkovic - Wingate
RAFFLE WINNERS
First Prize - Compaq Lap Top -
Kevin Kirby
Second Prize - 27" Color TV - Eilleen Orovitz
Third Prize - RCA DVD Player - Gerry Manning Jr.
Fourth Prize - $50 Gift Certificate - Dan Gilcoine
2003 14U Nationals Prep Tournament
The Breakers enter this tournament with the hope of fine tuning their skills before going to the Nationals.
The Boston Blazers, Rhode Island Hawks, and Bay State Magic were three of the eight teams that provided that competition we were looking for.
In the semi-finals we faced a re-built RI Hawks teams that has added Anthony Fortes and Carlos Bryant. The Hawks ran out to an early led, but could not sustain it late in the game. This Breaker team showed why this organization’s teams are know as the " Best of the Best". Jorge Ventura taking charge late in the game, showing class as will as a lot of basketball talent, scored at will and made a number of steals to seal the victory. Breakers 14’s defeated the RI Hawks 64-61 in a well-played inter-state rivalry game.
With this Breaker team playing back to back games, we enter the finals with the confidence of winning this championship game. In the finals the Blazers come up with a victory in a game that saw lead changes during the entire game. Joseph Odugbela, Jorge Ventura and Antone Gray stepped up their games to make this a great game. It wasn’t our typical running game, but a half court game. Both teams showing talent and smarts running their sets, with ten lead changes during the last four minutes. We had a chance to win with less then six seconds to play, with Jorge's jumper hitting the front of the rim. In the end the Boston Blazers came away with a hard fought 68-67 win in the championship game.
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BREAKER CHALLENGE
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RI Breakers 16's Ready To Make The
Trip LAS VEGAS--America's finest young basketball talent will shine in the spotlight of Las Vegas this July when the 9th Annual Adidas Big Time boy's high school summer tournament lights up the neon-drenched sky of this popular entertainment and sports mecca. Tournament officials have announced July 22-26 as the dates for this year's massive NCAA sanctioned hoopfest. A record-tying total of 344 teams, from more than 40 U.S. States and Canada, will provide serious summer hardwood heat when 856 total games are played on 26 courts at 13 high school gyms in the Southern Nevada area. After three 'pool play' games for each team in two days, teams will then move into one of four single-elimination tournaments in front of more than 300 college coaches. Nearly 15 teams are expected from Nevada. In eight years, The Big Time has grown rapidly into the summertime event to watch and the tournament at which to be watched. Green Valley High School, located in suburban Henderson, will be the official Tournament headquarters and the site where the majority of the featured Open division games will be played. "The Adidas Big Time tournament continues to re-set the standard of excellence for summer tournaments ever since it began in 1995," said Larry McKay, who founded the tournament along with Green Valley coach Jim Allen. "Our format works extremely well, giving young players an incredible opportunity to compete at their individual skill level. Advance planning and organization have been our keys to success, but what really makes it all work is the dedicated staff that executes all the details of conducting games for nearly 4,200 athletes. The legendary Sonny Vaccaro and Adidas have enabled this event to become truly 'Big Time' in a city where massive is commonplace." Reading like a current who's who of young basketball superstars, alumni of The Adidas Big Time include Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic and Lamar Odom of the LA Clippers. The teams with the best records from 72 four-team pools will advance along with the 56 top-seeded teams (seeded pre-tournament) to comprise the 128-team Open Division. The three additional A, B and C Divisions will include all the second, all the third and all the fourth place teams from Pool Play competing in their own respective 72-team single elimination tournaments. Besides Green Valley the other tournament sites in Henderson will be Basic HS, Coronado HS and Foothill HS while the site in N. Las Vegas will be Mojave HS. The Las Vegas area high schools hosting The adidas Big Time will be: Chaparral, Cimarron-Memorial, Desert Pines, Durango, Las Vegas, Palo Verde, Silverado and Valley. Each of the tournament sites features a main gymnasium and an auxiliary gym which will be utilized by the tournament. The Big Time also uses top game officials from throughout the West and National High School Federation rules are followed with a few exceptions, the major one of which is that the games are played in two 16-minute halves instead of four 8-minute quarters. Games will start at 9 a.m. daily. Green Valley and Durango will be the only venues in action during the tournament's final day and the championship games in all four Division will be held at Green Valley on Saturday, July 26. Previous Open Division champions in The Big Time are: Team New Orleans (1995), Illinois Warriors I (1996), DC Assault I of Maryland (1997), Michigan Mustangs (1998), New Orleans Jazz (1999), Atlanta Celtics I (2000), Long Island Panthers of New York (2001) and New York Ravens (2002). Past A Division champs are: Illinois Warriors II (1995), Bronx Ravens (1996), Dakota Schoolers of South Dakota (1997), LA Rockfish Orcas (1998), Valentino's Bison Red of Nebraska (1999), Friends of Hoop Black of Washington State (2000), Portland Elite Legends of Oregon (2001) and Stop Six of Texas (2002). Starting in 1997, B Division winners have been: Emerald City of Washington State (1997), Wisconsin Shooters (1998), Northern Stars of South Dakota (1999), Derek Smith All Stars Black of Kentucky (2000), Arizona Stars (2001) and SSA-Sacramento Platinum (2002). The C Division began in 1999 and winning titles have been: Packers Blue of Washington State (1999), Tru-Playaz of Colorado (2000), The Firm of Texas (2001) and Seattle Friends of Hoop-Green (2002). In less than eight weeks since this year's official entry forms have been posted, nearly 200 teams from 33 states and Canada have already entered The Adidas Big Time. The first official entry for 2003 was received from the three teams from the West Valley Basketball Club of Saratoga, Calif., on Feb. 23. Tournament officials expect to fill all spots in this year's 344-team field by the end of this month. For more information, contact the tournament headquarters at 702.256.9832
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11 year
olds wrap up successful season |
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11 and 13
year olds capture championships |
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Former "RI Breaker" Baldelli needs your vote for All-Star http://www.mlb.com will get you to it!
Tampa Bay Devil Rays center fielder Rocco Baldelli, who set a rookie record with 40 hits through April, has been named the American League Pepsi Rookie of the Month. Baldelli, 21, batted .364 with 13 runs, nine doubles, two triples, one home run, 20 RBIs and two stolen bases in 27 games, leading all AL rookies in 12 offensive categories and all Major League rookies in nine. The Cumberland, Rhode Island native posted 13 multi-hit games, trailing only AL Pepsi Player of the Month Alfonso Soriano's 16 among AL players, and collected an AL rookie-best three outfield assists. Baldelli began his Major League career by opening up the 2003 season with a 13-game hitting streak, and compiled another 10-game hitting streak in April. The sixth overall pick in the 2000 June draft hit safely in 24 of the 26 games in which he batted and, with his 40 hits through April, eclipsed the record set by Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki in April 2001. His .364 average is the highest by an AL rookie through April since Kansas City's Kevin Seitzer hit .382 in 1987. Baldelli's .500 average with runners in scoring position led all AL players, and he collected the game-winning RBI in three games in which the Devil Rays came from behind by three or more runs. Baldelli capped his outstanding month with two hits, including his first career home run, and five RBI in an 8-5 loss at Minnesota on April 30.
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11 Year Old Breakers Capture First Title |
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Breakers Cause Commotion at CCRIBreaker teams continue to impress as 4 age groups reach championship play. Most notable was Jim Field’s 17’s posting a convincing win over Coastal Pops, 76-61. Coastal Pops, who recently had a heartbreaking loss to BABC in the Mass State Qualifier final by one point, could never get it going against the Breakers. Coming off their 12th place National finish in the 16’s last year, the POPS looked to improve but ran into a formidable foe. RI Breakers 12’s put a scare into Bubba Ball before running out of gas. This is Bubba Ball’s 3rd straight championship. Breaker teams in the 13, 15, and 16-year-old age groups played up.
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Abdi Lidonde Inks Division 1 Scholarship With Old DominionMonarchs Sign Three To Standout Recruiting Class April 23, 2003 NORFOLK, VA. - Old Dominion University head coach Blaine Taylor announced the signing of three recruits; two ranked in the top 125 in what could be the strongest recruiting class in recent years for the Monarchs. Brian Henderson (Richmond, VA.), Arnaud Dahi (Ivory Cost of Africa) and Abdi Lidonde (Sutton, Mass.) Have signed letters of intent to play at Old Dominion next season. A consensus top 125 recruit, Abdi Lidonde is a 6-3, 185 pound shooting guard at St. Andrews. He earned first team All-New England honors and helped St. Andrews coached by Michael Hart to a 28-8 record and win the New England championship for the second time in three years. Lidonde scored 1,896 career points at St. Andrews, located in Barrington, RI.,. He averaged 17.1 points, and 6.0 rebounds. He shot 51 percent from the floor and 47 percent from three-point range, making 119 treys this season. Lidonde scored 38 points with eight treys against Stone King, and 23 points against third ranked St. Patrick's. "Abdi is a great kid, a very good student and an outstanding basketball player." said Hart. "He can really shoot the basketball, but he is also an outstanding defensive player." "I was very impressed with the coaching staff and I just fell in love with the campus, the area and the arena," added Lidonde. An honor roll student, Lidonde plans to major in finance at Old Dominion. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Abdi Lidonde, Sr.. Says Taylor, "Abdi is a shooter deluxe, when you consider he shot 47 percent over a four year career. That's the kind of consistency you look for, but he brings a lot more to the table than just shooting. His ability to rebound and guard are important ingredients."
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Rhode Island State
Qualifier
Breakers Stockpile 4 State Championships
Bubba Ball 12's Crowned Champs
CCRI Warwick was the site for the Rhode Island State
qualifier this past weekend and the host team, Rhode Island Breakers,
were not too kind to their guests. The Breakers were crowned champs in
the 13,14,16 and 17 year old divisions in the double elimination tournament.
Dave Anderson's fine 12 year old team is the RI representative to the
Nationals. The 15's did not have a qualifier. In all, 20 teams
participated. Including: Washington County Cyclones, RI
Bearcats, Team RI, Providence United, RI Hawks, Bubba Ball, and RI
Breakers
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The 7th Annual --> Click here for details & directions<--
ROLLING SCHEDULE ALL GAMES (updated 5/7 @ 12:30)
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The results from the 6th Annual Breakout Tournament Rhode Island Breakers, Delaware Sharks Dominate Tournament
The Delaware
Sharks rolled into town with 6 teams, placed 3 teams in the finals and went
home with two championships. The Breakers competed in 7 age groups, 5
went to the championship round and three13’s, 14’s, and 15’s went home with
the gold.
For more info:
Click here
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- Rhode Island AAU State ChampionshipTournament- U12, U13, U14, U15, U16, & U17 May 2nd-4th Community College of Rhode Island Warwick Campus 3 game guarantee- $325 entry fee Medals will be awarded for First, Second, and Third place teams. Trophies will be awarded to First and Second place teams.
Membership: Don't wait - Registration Deadline - April 15, 2003 You can download the forms from: Please send forms and check made payable to:
860-963-9097 day 860-928-1604 home
860-428-4768 cell
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TOP 10
As
of 3/16/03 1-St. Andrew's 2- Taunton (Ma) 3- Mt. Pleasant 4- Somerset(Ma.) 5- E. Providence 6-Cranston East 7- Hope 8- Durfee (Ma.) 9- Mt. Hope 10- Dartmouth (Ma.) 10- Exeter/West Greenwich 10- North Kingston |
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BREAKERS Capture Three Crowns in Baystate Thanks to all of the 50 teams that attended our
tournament. We hope that you enjoyed the weekend and that the competition was
at a good level for your team. The following teams were crowned champion on
Sunday:
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Top 10 List of things parents should NOT do at their kid's basketball game. |
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| 1. Keep your son's stats on a little pad. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2. Shut the video camera off and on
when
your son leaves and enters the game. |
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3. Bad mouth the coach while sitting next to the coaches wife. |
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| 4. Yell to another player on the floor to stop being a pig and to pass the ball to your son. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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5. Re-live all the mistakes the coach made
when your son gets home |
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6. If practice ends at 5:00 PM don't stroll into the gym at 4:30 PM. |
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7. Approach your son's coach after a tough loss to discuss his lack of playing time. |
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8. Yell at an opposing player who has fouled your son and threaten him with a variety of evil happenings should he lay a finger on your son again. |
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| 9. Abuse the officials. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10. Ring a bell or any other obscene noise maker every time your kid scores. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Add
yours to this list on our |
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3rd Annual George Tedino Tournament in the Books When the dust settled late Sunday afternoon it
was the Hartford City Stars and the RI Breakers
that walked away with most of the hardware. 50 teams from New Jersey,
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusettes, New York, and Rhode Island enjoyed a
beautiful weekend on the Knight campus of the Community College of Rhode
Island and played some competive basketball. There were NO forfeits and all
games went off on or close to schedule with two officials. Most Breaker
teams will be competing in Kalon Jenkins' Bay State Magic Tournament in
Brockton Mass this weekend 11s CJ Hawks 38 Harford City Stars 34
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NEW BED FORD
-- Tony Gaffney, Somerset High School’s high-scoring, shot-blocking,
3-point shooting and ball handling senior, capped his scholastic basketball
career by being named the male recipient of the annual Dave Cowens Achievement
Award
Wednesday night at Greater New Bedford Regional
Vocational Technical High School. |
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New England Shooting Guard
Is A Sleeper
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New England PG Getting Division I Looks TJ Sorrentine enrolled at Vermont as a relatively unheralded prospect out of Rhode Island. After two years in the America East Conference and Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year accolades, Sorrentine is anonymous no more. <<follow link for more...>> |
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USA TODAY feature article on holiday tournaments St. Andrew's defeated last year's Class C NEPSAC champion Lawrence Academy 64-43 at Rhode Island College. Lawrence Academy featured two California players, Richard Roby, 18 points and 6' 9" point guard Sylvester Seay both juniors. Matt Smith, a 6' 4" sophomore was game high with 20 points. Lamar Barrett with help from Emery Outland constantly bothered Seay and forced the giant point guard into a multitude of turnovers. Abdi Lidonde, 16 points, Demetris Nichols, 15 points and MVP and Outland, 13 points led the way. But it was Outland's overall game that set the tempo for the day. He directed the team, was relentless on defense, and had a considerable amount of rebounds for a 6' guard.
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ughes tops coaches' victory list Robert Hughes, boys basketball coach at Dunbar High (Fort Worth), set a U.S. record with his 1,275th victory Tuesday night. Dunbar (30-1) defeated Polytechnic 71-62 to let Hughes, 74, break a tie with Morgan Wooten, retired from DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). |
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Kevin Bradley became the first player in PCD history to
reach the 2,000-point milestone when he sank a 3-pointer in
the second half as the
Knights edged St. Thomas More, 80-76. Bradley finished the
game with 37 points on six 3-pointers and 17-of-22 shooting
from the foul line. Stace Garrick, 32 points, West Warwick 72, Warwick 69. Tom Driscoll netted 17. ST. ANDREW'S 87, ST. RAPHAEL 43: Five players scored in double figures led by Emery Outland, who had 19 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, as St. Andrew's romped in a nonleague contest. Also for St. Andrew's, Demetris Nichols had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Abdi Lidonde had 17 points, Lamar Barrett had 14 and Mike Gore added 10. St. Raphael's Jeff Xavier scored 10 points and recorded his 1,000th career point in a losing effort. Eric Sliney, 20 points, 10 rebounds, Lincoln 52, North Smithfield 44 |
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Texas Coach goes for victory record Dunbar High (Forth Worth) coach Robert Hughes tries to tie the U.S. boys basketball victory record Friday against North Side ( Fort Worth ). Hughes, 1,273-248 in 45 seasons, would tie the mark set in 2002 at DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) by retired Hall of Famer Morgan Wooten. "I haven't mentioned it (to the team)," said Hughes, 74 who teaches health education. "I'm just concerned with finishing unbeaten in our district and making a big push in the (Class 4A) playoffs." Hughes' teams have won four state championships, the last in 1993. "I'll probably get the record someday, if not in 2003 , then next season," said Hughes, who has no plans to retire. - Chris Lawlor USA Today
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USA TODAY Super
25 by Christopher Lawlor Player of the week: Demetris Nichols of St. Andrew's (Barrington, R.I.) totaled 38 points, 29 rebounds and 13 blocked shots in two games despite a sprained ankle. The 6-8 Nichols, who's heading to Syracuse, is averaging 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.1 blocked shots and is shooting 48% on 34 of 71 from three-point range. He will be in the EA Sport Roundball Classic on March 31 in Chicago. |
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Mirkovic Having
Productive Year
By: Russ Blake Milos Mirkovic, a 6-7, 230 pound power forward from St. Andrew's H.S. in Barrington, R.I., has generated some Division I recruiting interest with his fine senior season. Every time Rivalshoops.com has seen Mirkovic play this winter, he has turned in productive performances. At the recent Basketball Hall of Fame H.S. Invitational in Springfield, Mass., Mirkovic scored 17 points and hit the winning basket in a 66-64 victory over All Hallows H.S. While Mirkovic isn't fleet afoot and his reactions aren't quick, he can score when he gets the ball in the low post. He has decent foot work and has a knack for finishing consistently around the basket. He shoots a high percentage from the field, and knows where his bread is buttered. According to St. Andrew's Head Coach Mike Hart, Winthrop, Appalachian State and a number of Division II programs are monitoring Mirkovic this winter. |
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Interest Picking Up in
Lidonde
By: Russ Blake Abdi Lidonde, a sharp-shooting 6-2, 180 pound shooting guard from St. Andrew's H.S. in Barrington, R.I., has seen his recruiting interest pick up greatly in the past month. Bolstered by solid performances at the City of Palms in Florida and the Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, Del., Lidonde's stock has risen significantly. Rivalshoops.com caught up with St. Andrew's Head Coach Mike Hart after the Saints upended All Hallows H.S. of New York City at the Basketball Hall of Fame H.S. Invitational in Springfield, Mass. Hart told Rivalshoops.com that Vanderbilt, George Mason, Rice, Dayton, Xavier and Rhode Island have all made inquiries regarding Lidonde in the past month. Penn, which had been Lidonde's top personal choice at one point, appears to be out of the picture, Hart said. Lidonde can carry a team offensively when his shot is falling. He's not a particularly sharp passer, so he's pretty much going to have to be a two guard at the college level. He's a full academic qualifier and open to more schools getting involved. |
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Durfee qualifies for tourney – again
At St.FALL RIVER -- It was a bumpy start and a smooth finish.
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PAWTUCKET --
To say that Jeff Xavier is a winner might just be the
understatement of the year. The St. Raphael Academy junior
has become somewhat of a Derek Jeter of Rhode Island high
school basketball in recent years. Winning is all he knows.
Ever since the seventh grade, Xavier has known nothing but state championships. Whether it’s been at Lincoln Middle School, where his teams won back-to-back state titles and went an amazing 42-0 over that span, or at St. Ray’s, where he’s won state titles in each of his first two seasons, Xavier just keeps winning, baby. "He knows how to win," noted SRA coach Tom "Saar" Sorrentine. "He always comes up big in the end. When the game’s on the line, he’s the guy." Perhaps a bit spoiled by so much success, Xavier might have not known what to do with himself when the Saints got off to an 0-3 start in Division 1-AA this season. These were unchartered waters for a player whose teams have gone a remarkable 90-8 over the previous four years. But Xavier, who’s as unflappable as they come, never panicked. "I knew we were going to turn it up," he said earlier this week. "We weren’t going to back down that easily. I know our guys." And sure enough, thanks largely to Xavier’s stellar play, the Saints have started to turn things around. Following Tuesday night’s 68-52 win over Central High, during which Xavier poured in 37 points, SRA has now won four in a row and is back above .500 (4-3) in league play. While Mount Pleasant and Hope High might be the two early favorites to unseat the four-time defending state champion Saints, don’t count SRA out just yet. Any team with Jeff Xavier on its roster has to be given at least a puncher’s chance. *** XAVIER IS IN THE MIDST OF one of the greatest seasons the Times area has seen in a long while, emerging as a dominant player after being overshadowed by teammates like Mike Williams, Evan Meekins and Josean Vega his first two years. After averaging 8.1 points per game as a frosh and 9.4 last year, Xavier is far and away the top scorer in the area this year at 29.8 ppg., more than 10 points more than his nearest challenger. The owner of a feather-soft jumper and a shooter’s mentality, he’s canned 56 three-pointers in just 12 games, shooting the rock at a remarkable 47-percent rate from beyond the arc. He was never better than on Dec. 28, when he drained nine three-pointers and poured in a whopping 49 points in a holiday tournament win over Cambridge Ringe & Latin. "I was on fire," admitted Xavier, who’s as soft-spoken off the court as he is energetic on it. "I just felt it and kept on shooting." "That was a prime-time game against a real good team, and he raised his level up," added Sorrentine. "If you can do that against a real good team, that’s saying something." But Xavier is more than just a shooting star. Jet-quick and athletic, he leads the Saints with 4.4 steals per game and is a deft passer who sees the entire court and averages 4.0 assists. Perhaps most remarkably, Xavier is tops on the Saints in rebounding at 7.4 per contest. "He’s quick, he can shoot the three, penetrate and he makes his foul shots (77 percent)," said Sorrentine. "He’s our leading rebounder, and he works every minute he’s on the court. He never says anything on the court, he just plays. Physically, he’s not going to overpower you. But with his quickness, he’s going to torment you." It’s the type of all-around game that is starting to attract great interest among colleges. URI assistant coach Dan Theiss was at the Saints’ early-season game against Central Falls High, and Providence College assistant Bob Walsh was at SRA’s game at Hendricken High last Friday night. Xavier went up to New Hampshire for an official visit on Wednesday night. Rider, Eastern Carolina and Massachusetts are among the other schools that have taken notice of him, but "I want to go to PC, though" Xavier said, matter-of-factly. "It’s my hometown, and I can stay here near my family." The Friars have just started to hitch up to the Jeff Xavier bandwagon, and while it’s not exactly a fullcourt press just yet, it’s certainly more interest than PC is used to giving local products. "Everyone always asked me, ‘Why doesn’t PC talk to (you)?’" Xavier said. "But I just received a big packet from them. I was happy. I’m sending them a tape of my 49-point game." *** WHETHER OR NOT XAVIER IS A BONA FIDE BIG EAST prospect is still up for debate. Anyone who averages 29 points per game as a junior and can score 49 points against Ringe & Latin obviously has great talent, but the book on Xavier right now is that he’s a little too small. He’s 6-feet tall but weighs no more than 160 pounds, and there’s no question he needs to add a little muscle to his frame. It’s nothing Xavier hasn’t heard before. "Everybody says he’s got to get stronger," said Sorrentine. "He’s athletic, and he’s going to get stronger at some point. Whether it’s next year of the year after, that’s going to come with time." Xavier knows he’s got to bulk up a bit, which is why he’s on a dedicated weight-lifting regimen at the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket. "I try to gain weight," he says in a tone that suggests that it’s not easy for him to do. Xavier’s been a denizen of the Boys & Girls Club ever since he was about 8 years old, when he’d wake up at 9 a.m. and walk from his home in Prospect Heights to the club. He’s still a real gym rat, and in fact can be found at the club nearly every night, after his practice with the Saints is over. It was at the Boys & Girls Club that he first saw the player who would influence his decision to attend St. Ray’s ---- Robert "Oobie" Griffin. He never even met Griffin, but he loved his game. "I used to go to the Lynch Tournament (at the club each December) and see him play, and I always wanted to go to St. Ray’s after that," Xavier recalled. When Xavier was about 13, his parents moved to Lincoln and he enrolled at Lincoln Middle School. The school’s hoop team posted those consecutive perfect seasons and won two state titles ("It was great," Xavier recalled. "We had an awesome team."). Then Xavier’s family moved back to Pawtucket and he enrolled at the school where his hero used to play. "I always wanted to come here," he said. "It’s like a dream for me." Next up on Xavier’s dream list is "one for the thumb" --- a fifth straight state title for the Saints, and a fifth straight personal state title for him. Over the next year, he’ll have to decide which school is the best fit for him, or whether a year of prep school might be best. His dreams lie just a few miles down the road on Smith Hill, but reality might lead him elsewhere. While he’d prefer to play the two in college, Xavier believes he’d likely be a point guard for a major Division One school like the Friars. PC already has fabulous freshman Donnie McGrath locked up for the next three years, as well as a pair of blue-chip guard recruits (Dwight Brewington and Gerald Brown) coming in next fall. Whatever happens, Xavier is sure to help some collegiate program in the future. "He’d be a good catch for anybody," said Sorrentine. "I think I can play anywhere in the country," Jeff Xavier added. "I just need a chance." |
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COACH 'K' IN THE HOUSE !! DUKE COACH MIKE KRYZEWKI MADE A STOP IN BRIDGEPORT TUESDAY TO SEE TRINITY CATHOLIC-STAMFORD'S DAVE MCCLURE. THE 6'5" JUNIOR DID NOT DISAPPOINT! MCCLURE HAD 16 POINTS DESPITE MISSING A LARGE PORTION OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE CRUSADER'S 68-43 VICTORY OVER HARDING-BRIDGEPORT.
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Prep Stars Top 20 lists Worcester Academy #2 Worcester Academy (Worcester, Mass.) (13-1)
Results:
Crushed Choate, 83-43; Beat Avon Old Farms
Next: Jan. 24
vs. New Hampton; Jan. 25 vs. Hun; Jan. 27 Notes:
With Blair losing to St. Benedict’s, Mo Cassara’s
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Ex- New London High School (CT)
and URI star Tyson Wheeler continued his outstanding season by passing for an all-star game record 14 assists. Wheeler is averaging 15.6 points, 8.1 assists for the Yakima Sun Kings. |
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 Goyette sets mark in boys’ victory
DARTMOUTH -- It may have been the toughest five points of Ryan
Goyette’s life.
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Former Providence College
star John Linehan left the
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St.
Andrew's Nips All Hallows By: Russ Blake Date: January 20, 2003 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Milos Mirkovic scored the go-ahead basket with 10 seconds remaining to lift St. Andrew's H.S. of Rhode Island to a thrilling 66-64 victory over All Hallows H.S. of N.Y. on Sunday at the 2nd Annual Hall of Fame H.S. Invitational. All Hallows had a chance to win the game or send it into overtime, but the Gaels couldn't get a shot off in the waning seconds as time expired. All Hallows' Terrell Elliston had the ball at the top of the key with the clock winding down, and he tried to find sharpshooter deluxe Ronald Ramon for a game winning shot. However, his errant pass was knocked away by St. Andrew's as time expired. Ramon, a deadeye shooting 6-0 junior combo/point guard, exploded for 28 points on 11 of 19 shooting. He shot a crisp five of 10 from beyond the arc, and helped the Gaels build a 29-22 half-time lead. Midway through the second half, the Saints rallied to tie the game at 43 on a three point basket from Abdi Lidonde. >From that point on, the game see-sawed back and forth until Mirkovic caught a great post entry feed and scored at the basket to give St. Andrew's the 66-64 advantage. Mirkovic, a rugged 6-6 senior power forward, finished with 17 points on eight of 12 shooting. Syracuse bound Demetris Nichols added 15 points and eight rebounds, while unsigned senior guard Abdi Lidonde tallied 12. Elliston was the only Gael player aside from Ramon to hit for double figures. He finished with 14 points and three assists. |
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By BUDDY THOMAS, Standard-Times
Senior Sports Editor
DARTMOUTH -- There was never any question about Durfee's all-around
athleticism.
But when the question of how to stop the tandem of Jamal Johnson
and Bobby Bailey arose, Dartmouth didn't have any answers.
Johnson and Bailey combined for 42 points on a
variety of shots ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime as the
visiting Hilltoppers built a 22-point second half lead and cruised past
the Indians, 67-54, before a big crowd here last night.
With the win Durfee improved to 9-2 on the season while the loss was just
the second in 10 starts for Dartmouth.
"We just had no answers for those two guys," said coach Steve Gaspar after
watching his Indians almost run out of breath trying to keep up with
lightning-quick Hilltoppers.
Johnson scored a game-high 25 points -- his first four
field goals coming on five shots from behind the 3-point line
-- while Bailey added 17 points with his seven field
goals ranging from an NBA-like 3-pointer and slam dunk.
Dennis Mello scored 10 points to join Johnson and Bailey in double figures
while Ryan Goyette and Logan McNamara scored 11 and 10
points to join Gilchrist in twin digits for Dartmouth. |
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LIDONDE DOES IT AGAINBy Jeff Goodman JGood67213@aol.com December 28, 2002 LEWES, Del. -- Abdi Lidonde nailed seven trifectas against St. Patrick (N.J.) one week ago in a disappointing overtime loss. The unsigned St. Andrews (R.I.) senior matched the seven treys Friday night, but this time it came in a win. Lidonde was unconscious from both wings to help give St. Andrews a 76-56 victory over a mammoth Laurinburg Institute (N.C.) team at the Slam Dunk to the Beach. ``I’m just feeling it now," said Lidonde, who was throwing up the previous night after being hit with the flu. "It’s the same thing as last year, except I’m much more consistent. Our bench came up strong and everyone stepped it up tonight." The 6-3 Lidonde started with a trio of three-pointers from the left wing in the first half and then buried four threes from the right corner after the break. He finished with 25 points and was 7-of-10 from three-point land. Syracuse-bound forward Demetris Nichols was plagued by foul trouble, but still managed 16 points. Junior forward Lamar Barrett added 10 points. Lidonde, who is clearly one of the top shooters remaining on the board, is still awaiting the results of his most recent ACT attempt. He scored a 20 on his last test, but said he needs to gain two more points in order to gain acceptance into Penn. ``I’ll find out when we get back to school," Lidonde said. "But if I get into Penn, I’ll probably end up going there." Other schools that were looking at Lidonde prior to the Slam Dunk to the Beach include Xavier, Rhode Island and Rider
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Pawlowski’s night to
remember
Gazette staff reports
January 21, 2003
QUINCY -- Paul Pawloswki had a monster night for Taunton High as the Tigers opened up a 10-point advantage at the half and then ran away with a 73-44 road win at North Quincy in boys basketball action. Pawlowski, a senior forward, led the team with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and four blocks as THS improved to 10-1 on the season, and 7-0 in the Old Colony League. The Tigers come into the week with a two game advantage in the OCL over Silver Lake. Pawlowski (19.4 points per game), Simpson (19.3) and and Eric Johnson (14.5) are three of the top five scorers in the OCL this season. |
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Gaye helps Bryant come back to top Franklin
Pierce in O.T.
Junior guard Gouty Gaye came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including the last four points in regulation and eight in overtime, leading Bryant to a 76-68 victory over Franklin Pierce yesterday at the Bryant Athletics & Recreation Center in Smithfield. The Bulldogs were losing 65-60 and cut the lead to four when Mike Williams made one-of-two free throws with 1:29 remaining in regulation. After a Ravens turnover, Gaye scored on a layup with 50 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, the Ravens' Jimmie Hunt drove to the hoop with 15 seconds left but was blocked by Williams on his attempt. Gaye came up with the rebound, went the length of the court and scored with nine seconds on the clock. In overtime, the Bulldogs took a 69-68 lead when Gaye made a steal and found teammate Marc DiFanti for a layup with 2:40 left. Bryant never looked back, scoring seven unanswered points to close out the contest.
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One player who helped his stock at the Slam Dunk to the Beach
Tournament was 6-2 senior shooting guard
Abdi Lidonde of St. Andrew's H.S.
in Barrington, R.I.
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Boxer boys top Durfee to stay perfect
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Former St. Raphael star T.J. Sorrentine, the player-of-the-year in the
America East Conference last season for Vermont, has decided to redshirt
this season. The point guard broke both wrists in an intrasquad
scrimmage before the start of the season. An American East spokesperson who was at the Dunkin' Donuts Center to see league member Northeastern last night said Sorrentine tried to practice this week for the first time since being injured. One wrist felt OK, but the other was still too painful and would require more time. Vermont officials notified the league that Sorrentine will sit out the season, thus would still have two years of eligibility remaining. South Kingstown's Toby Brittain, meanwhile, has left Northeastern and is now attending Clarion State in Pittsburgh. Because that is a Division Two program, he is eligible to play immediately.
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| NEWARK, DE --
University of Delaware's men's basketball coach David Henderson has
announced the signing of four student-athletes during the National Letter
of Intent program's early signing period.
The Blue Hens have signed commitments from 6-8 forward Henry Olawoye, 6-7 forward Octavius Flowers, 6-7 forward Herb Courtney, and 6-9 forward Lebo Maepa. Olawoye is a Woonsocket, RI native who enrolled two years ago at St. Mark's Prep School in Southbourough, MA, a suburb of Boston. Last season, he earned All-Independent School League honors at St. Mark's, averaging 14.8 and 9.3 rpg. He also earned all-tournament honors at the Boys Club of New York Holiday Classic. He is also a member of St. Mark's baseball squad.
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